‘Team Australia’: Muslim leaders boycott counter terrorism meeting.

Tony Abbott says Muslim leaders were ‘foolish’ for refusing to sit down with him.

Rightly so in my opinion. Very foolish.

By refusing to discuss new counter terrorism measures, to me it shows they have something to hide. It’s as if they are agreeing that most Muslims are terrorists, rather than most terrorism is committed by Muslims and that’s why they are running scared..

If they have nothing to hide, why the refusal ? Don’t these idiots have brain in their head? Why were they the only leaders to be asked to the meeting? Why weren’t the heads of the Catholic, Anglican, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu religions etc., not invited? Why only the Muslim leaders?

I would have thought that by discussing the new counter terrorism measures the general public would look on the Muslim community in a better light. Most Muslims aren’t terrorists, most want a peaceful life and the terrorists, as we can see from what is happening in parts of the Muslim/Arab world, don’t mind if they kill their own to achieve their own aims.

TONY Abbott has warned that beheadings, like in the case of American journalist, James Foley, could happen here in Australia.

“It just goes to show that this is not just something that happens elsewhere, it could happen in countries like Australia if we relax our vigilance against terrorism and potential terrorism here on our shores.”

ISIS is the “most effective” terrorist movement the world has ever seen, according to Mr. Abbott, who warns its actions have ramifications for Australia.

The Prime Minister believes the video of the brutal beheading of American journalist James Foley is a sign of the “evil barbarity” of the group responsible.

“It’s a sign that there is an utter ruthlessness and depravity about this movement which is hideous and sickening and deplorable,”

he told 3AW radio this morning.

“It just strengthens my resolve, and frankly it should strengthen every Australian’s resolve, to do whatever we humanly can to ensure we never have the slightest hint of this kind of thing here in Australia.”

When he was asked whether the killer’s British accent is designed to send a message to the West, Mr Abbott said he had

“little doubt that the ISIL movement are masters of propaganda and social media.”

“That’s why it’s very important we redouble our vigilance and boost our efforts to ensure that our country is safe.”

The Prime Minister warned that there are about 60 Australians working with ISIL and another 100 with its support network and said that it is very concerning, even though it’s a only a minuscule percentage of the population. He said that we know ,as in the case of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York, it doesn’t take very many people to kill so many and to cause such catastrophic disasters using modern technology.

He also claimed it is “quite concerning” that groups like Jemaah Islamiah are being “energised” by ISIL and that the formal threat level remains as it is, but Australia does need to take it “very, very seriously”.

“This is a different level of threat of that which have seen in the past,”

he said.

“Yes what happens in Syria and Northern Iraq is a long way away, but it has ramifications for our country because there are Australians involved.”

Good on the Prime Minister for labelling Islamic groups “foolish” and “petty” for boycotting their meeting with him.

Picture: News Corp.

The Islamic Council of Victoria was one of a small number who refused to attend a planned sit down with the Prime Minister after taking offence over his “Team Australia” rhetoric.

The Council secretary labelled it as a “media stunt”.

Mr Abbott has also labelled Islamic groups “foolish” and “petty” for boycotting their meeting with him.

Mr Abbott criticised the leaders for not sitting down with him. He said he doubts it will happen again because it was “so self evidently petty”.

“I’d rather focus on the very many who have come to these meetings, rather than the few who in my mind have rather foolishly boycotted them,”

he told 3AW.

“You can hardly complain that people aren’t talking to you and then when you offer them a talk say sorry we’re not coming,”

The Prime Minister said the spirit of the meetings he did have was “very, very good”.

“Not everyone agreed with me on everything, but nevertheless I think there was a ‘Team Australia’ spirit among them.

“One was even good enough to say we are all part of ‘Team Australia’ and you are our Captain, which showed I thought a great enthusiasm for our country.”

The Prime Minister insisted their counter-terror measures are not designed to target any group, adding Australian Muslims are “as enthusiastic” for Australia as every other immigrant group.

“Tony, they don’t hear you”

The ABC says that the Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane said Mr Abbott and the Federal Government should be careful not to cause divisions among the Arab and Muslim community, and said that Community members expressed concern the term “Team Australia” was divisive. He went on to say that people had the right to demand an explanation from Mr Abbott about what the term meant.

“We’re all signed up to the Australian community. We all take a pledge of citizenship if we’re migrants and have [been] naturalised.”

I think we are well aware of that but unless the average person in the Muslim/Arab Community comes out and says something, the general Community is bound to think the worst considering what is happening in the Muslim/Arab world.

Naturally the Opposition immigration spokesman Tony Burke couldn’t let this chance go by without some snide comment at a time the country and politicians should be united. He said the Government has been making a mess of discussions with Muslim community leaders.

“They’ve handled it in a clumsy fashion, it’s in the interests of any Australian that they lift their game and they improve, I hope they do.”

“There’s a good level of goodwill from people wanting to help, the Government needs to be respectful in those relationships and stop making a mess of it the way they have.”

Muslim leaders in Sydney signed a statement rejecting the proposed counter terrorism laws, labelling them as an “unjust and hypocritical policy“.

The signatories included more than 50 Muslim organisations and individuals, including political groups, senior Imams, student and community organisations with Community spokesperson Rebecca Kay said it was unlikely a meeting will be rescheduled.

“Muslim community leaders that have signed this statement I believe will be boycotting these meetings and boycotting the meetings completely because they completely denounce the new changes to the terror laws.”

How totally, totally irresponsible of her/them and the more I hear of this the more I am concerned they have something to hide.!!!!

I would also like to know why the Government is asking their opinion on this. I thought we had elected them to govern.

Or am I wrong?

Where are Mr., Mrs., and Ms., Muslim/Arab on this?

I’ve spent years on Blogs, message boards and on on-line articles posting comments and in all that time I have only seen this one comment on a topic on the DRUM just two years ago about Sharia Law.

I consider myself a Muslim and I am very angry and frustrated because AFIC has made a demand for Sharia without consulting the wider Muslim community. I do not believe that Sharia in any shape of form is required in Australia. The Australian way of life includes freedom of religion and I have never faced any problems in practicing my faith in Australia. It’s not only stupid but demeaning to ask for faith based laws in a country where the society is built upon the separation of the Church and the State.

My fellow Australians, as a Muslim, I am ashamed and sorry for this episode and I hope better sense prevails in the future.

AFIC makes a lot of money out of Halal accreditation but they have hardly spent anything towards the betterment of the Muslim community in Australia. I personally know the members of AFIC management who have become millionaires in the past ten years benefiting from the business of religion.

And to those Muslims migrants who support the demand for Sharia law, I have only one question. Why did you migrate to a secular and democratic country if you wanted Sharia laws? And for those born here, I want to know why you want to promote separatism by demanding faith based laws while no other community is doing the same ? Seriously this is beyond logic and common sense.

And its quite disappointing the Keysar has chosen to be an apologist for AFIC rather than being critical of their obviously outrageous and stupid move.

SEVERAL Muslims rang our 2GB show this week. They were young and angry — but not with me.

No, Ali, Muhammad and Sabrina were angry with their so-called “leaders” who have betrayed them.

Andrew Bolt asks.

So why did Ali, Muhammad and Sabrina ring to protest?

Because they are angry that such people — like a Mufti who speaks no English — purport to speak for them.

Because they are part of this country and not to be negotiated with through “leaders” as if they were not.

“What is and who is the ‘Islamic community’?” protested Ali. “I am Australian.”

Andrew goes on to say;

But the Sydney meeting was little better. At least the Grand Mufti turned up, after having stupidly boycotted an end-of-Ramadan dinner hosted by the Australian Federal Police to show his anger at the anti-terrorism plans.

But one of the others Abbott consulted was Keysar Trad, who in the past translated for the pro-jihadist and pro-Osama bin Laden Nida’ul Islam magazine, as well as for Sheik Taj El-Din Hilaly, a Hezbollah supporter who infamously called the September 11 attacks “God’s work against oppressors”.

Why was Trad there, when his Islamic Friendship Association has no more than a dozen members and the NSW Supreme Court found he “incites people to commit acts of violence”?

Nor was the statement these leaders produced after the meeting at all encouraging.

It was full of warnings against going too far in fighting terrorism and it disgracefully suggested Abbott instead “devise sound foreign policies that uphold human rights (and) are balanced” — code for dumping Israel.

4 comments

To me it was a mistake for Abbott to consult with a specific group in the community. He is appointed to lead, and just because some Muslims don’t like the proposed anti-terrorism measures is no reason for him to try to appease them.

It’s also significant that the Islamic Council of Victoria, the main interfaith partner with Jews and Christians, has boycotted the talks, also that it came out strongly in condemnation of Israel over their self-defence against terror group Hamas in Gaza. It would have been good if their Christian and Jewish partners had pulled them up on this, but they chose to remain largely silent.

Odd how the ICV urges ‘dialogue’ via interfaith, yet when there’s something vital to the national interest to discuss, they go AWOL. What do they have to hide? Why are they supporting Hamas? These are questions we need a satisfactory answer to.

To be honest I am impressed by the attitude of the mulsim leaders in Australia. They stand by their people, by their convictions, ideology, agenda, they represent loyally the spirit of the great majority of their own people. After all they ARE there to represent and give moral support to the people they themselves lead in their actions, their beliefs. The same leaders are directly responsible for all manifestations of rejection of Austra;ian values as seen each time public demonstrations are held by the muslims on our streets. The same leaders are at the forefront of the marches, the same ones make speeches, the same ones distort our values by inciting their followers to oppose what ordinary Australians of different religious persuasions, Jews included, of course , respect in our society.
The immediate retort by these leaders to the call for a united Australia , was the objection to Australia’s Government attitude to Israel. Right away, the muslim leaders aligned Israel with the notion of “terrorists”, Australian Jews with dual citizenship, Israeli and Australian analogue with the Australian muslim joining terrorist organisations. Their objections are as absurd as they betray a “logic” by which the engagement of muslim with proscribed , terrorist, organisations is identical with the LEGITIMATE participation of Australian in activities of a recognised entity, the State of Israel. To them Hamas, ISIS etc. are as valid as Israel !!!! They consider those terrorist groups LEGITIMATE !!!
Sometimes you cannot help but derive some satisfaction when you see that people who hate you are so …..bloody smart !!!